Residents of south Pembrokeshire aged 40 to 64 are being invited attend a Healthy Heart Check as part of a pilot being run in the county.

Eligible patients of Argyle Medical Centre, Neyland and Johnston Surgery, Narberth Health Centre, Tenby Surgery, Saundersfoot Medical Centre, St. Clement’s Surgery and St. Oswald’s Surgery, who are not currently diagnosed with any condition, will receive or have received an invitation to attend a short appointment with a healthcare professional.

The Healthy Heart Check programme offers a one-to-one cardiovascular risk assessment health check and ongoing support for people to improve their health through diet and exercise, address risky behaviours such as smoking and excessive drinking, and to identify and manage early signs of disease in our communities.

A team of healthcare support workers deliver the consultations at clinics run at convenient locations in and near local practices. By the end of the health check, individuals are told their heart age and are equipped with important knowledge of their health status and have the opportunity to discuss their lifestyle with a trained professional.

The assessment gives the predicted cardiovascular and diabetes risk over the next 10 years to each patient and a wealth of information to change their habits such as eating healthier, increasing exercising and giving up smoking.

A typical assessment lasts around 50 minutes and includes height and weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and carbon monoxide checks and a friendly chat about lifestyle such as diet and exercise with suggestions for improvement.

Director of Public Health for Hywel Dda University Health Board, Ros Jervis, attended a clinic in Pembroke at which she discovered her heart age: “As a 47-year-old woman I was quite surprised to discover that I have a heart age of 51. One of the things I didn’t score very well on was my physical activity levels and I also had a slightly elevated blood pressure reading, so the two could be connected.

“My initial thoughts are that I need to look at how I might change my weekly activity pattern and bring a bit more physical activity into my life.”

Medical Director and Director of Clinical Strategy, Dr. Phil Kloer, added: “This is an exciting national programme of work, supported by the Welsh Government, that is aimed at improving the lives and well-being of people across Wales, and we are proud to pilot this programme to make lasting and positive changes to the lives of the people in south Pembrokeshire, and to reduce the impact of disease in our future population.”